Dr. John Kitchin was a successful neurologist. However, he felt as if his life was a rat race – trapped in a routine that didn’t make him happy. There was emptiness inside. Dr. Kitchin abandoned his career and all of his trappings of material success, including a Ferrari, an exotic animal farm and a huge mansion high in the hills. Now, he skates all day, every day, in slow motion, at Pacific Beach. People know him as SLOMO. The child inside him is very happy: “The people that love SLOMO are cheering for one person that got away, that escaped, and got to real freedom where he skates all day, doesn’t apologize – he’s simply doing what he wants to…”

REHANA WEBSTER

HE' MY MAN,HERO, COURAGEOUS, WOW MANY PEOPLE CAN TAKE A LEAF OUT OF HIS BOOK ...WELL DONE JOHN...GO MAN...

yvonne

I admire john for having the courage to change his life. I have been teaching for 42 years, 22 of them as a primary school principal and I have never felt brave enough to give it all up.

Denise

Making choices that make you happy is essential for a good spiritual, physical, mental, general all around health. One of the Psalms says, "I created the earth as a place to be lived in". It takes an evolutionary consciousness to choose life, to live it to the fullest and enjoy the depths and do what you choose. What an inspiration.

sandy

Being authentic!

ace

Interesting that the Dr.'s eyesight has declined to the point he doesn't see faces well. This is the state of a newborn's eyesight up until the age of one. Perhaps he has simply regressed to this stage of his youth. The film makes mention that age 11 is the end the our "idealism." Society or simply aging beats the philosopher out of us and we conform. Our job over and over, throughout life, ---without regard to social status or money---is to "awaken" to our True Selves. Souls don't age, only the body does.

TR

I liked this vid because I was recently dianosed with a terminal disease and though, "shit, I should have done this years ago!"
The old saying, "do the job you love then it won't be a job", well, that's what I got of this vid.

Dean Abraham

I am inspired by this overwhelming feeling of faith and belief that transcends through the comments of this video.
I have not seen this video as it fails to load on the current device I am using.
I will however be forwarding this video and this faith found here to many people I love.''''
An insight into a life for the purpose of sharing faith is how I will allow my interpretation of this experience to remain.
I symbolise life.
Why do I symbolise life?
I symbolise life because I am a life.
How do I symbolise life?
I symbolise life by being a life.
Where do I symbolise life?
I symbolise life internally and externally.
When do I symbolise life?
I symbolise life every moment.
What do i symbolise life?
I symbolise life life.
Aloha

Carolyn

A great reminder of what is best about being human. My favorite quote - "I'm just trying to get to the end of my life without becoming an asshole again." Profoundly spiritual goal for each of us!

Mia

How brave you are, Slomo....... Keep on soaring.

Laurel

A day at the beach isn't the same if SLOMO isn't skating. He is a pleasant part of the boardwalk experience. He is a true blessing to all who surround him--always smiling :)

Alejandro

The video is not about quitting your job, is about not being an asshole. If what makes you tick, if what you want to do is to perform surgeries and save peoples lives every day, keep doing it. Enjoy it. Don't let the bullshit from around your life take that away from you. You need to keep 3 jobs to make ends meet, to feed your family and pay the cable bill? If that is what you want, keep doing it, just don't be an asshole.
Thank you Slomo for reminding me to focus in what I want, and what I don't want.

Rudy

Because I want to change MY life. Thanks Slomo

Kristin Pedemonti

here's to living our JOY. I would add also helping others. Great that SLOMO in his golden years realized what made him happy and now does it. (I would agree with many of the others though, that he simply retired and is now following his bliss) There are countless others (including myself) who left jobs and sold their possessions at a much earlier point in life in order to serve others (and follow our own bliss) here's the living in JOY & sharing it. PS the volunteer project I created/facilitated in 2005 with some of the proceeds of the sale of my very modest house ended up serving 33,000 students & trained 800 teachers. it went global this year. GRATEFUL! yay!

Brian

Thanks Guys. Dr. Kitchen is a retired Doctor who is really finding his peace in life. We can learn from him, and be mindful. Just as in Proverbs in Psalms, we take the good parts that we can apply to our lives...sifting through to find the pearls...Our mind is who we are. Thanks Doc for blazing a trail of hope. Here's to fighting for our wellness whether we are 9 to 5's or part times, to the families who help each other, and let's keep making the place more habitable, keep leading...1world...peace

Debra

I found nothing inspirational in this video as, in the real world, most people are only two to three paychecks away from losing everything!

Marsha Nelson,Ph.D.

I teach others to find their inner child, follow their dreams. Hurrah for Little John Kitchin.... He got my LESSON.

Brigitte

Congratulations to someone who turned a medical situation that kept him from doing what he had many years ago elected to be trained in, (evidently a very lucrative profession), into something else he now feels he wanted to do. Maybe downsizing in living space to a mere studio was a personal choice; however, letting go of the BMW and Ferrari could not have been, based on what he said about his eyesight. Sadly, not everyone is able to make such a transition as easy as he makes it sounds and apparently feels, many should be striving for, but it may not be as doable for others, no matter how much they would like to.
Regardless, he evidently did, and I am so very happy that he is happy. Again, congratulation to someone, who made a preferred transition into the Golden Years. Keep on rolling for many more years, Slomo, into the final sunset, never letting go of that huge smile on your face.

Sheila

We all should find our joy and do what we want to like Slomo!

sarah

It is true Slomo has made enough money in his workinglife to take the step to break free and a physiological reason for doing so but we can all free ourselves if we truly wish to do so just take one small step and life will change, this takes trust, trust is everything in trust we find courage. Courage is making the first small step. Who knows where you will be tomorrow if you trust. Try it, if this doesn't work for you so be it that is ok as well freedom is made up of many things and is so very personal. Keep trusting and all will be revealed and life will expand in time.

phoenix

Well, firstly he is into retirement age so people should not criticize him for not still doing neurology. He is fully doing what he loves. i at 61 live at Amritanandamayi's ashram at Amritapuri, Kerala, India, doing exactly what i want. Spirituality, yoga, back to being a rawest, now mainly enjoying the tropical fruits. Been here for 3 years now. My younger daughter at 21 just finishing her bachelors degree at a university in Kerala. Now i enjoy poetry and am adding that to my list of loves. Hubby left me when i came to India, don't feel sorry. It burst me into being myself, finding myself after 35 years in a marriage that wasn't. Love life and love YOU! I sign my name Phoenix because i raise from whatever fire and ashes consume me. Life is for living in a beautiful joyous fashion, where ever we are. That is what Dr. John is doing, may i encompass his joy! Visala

Kit

Ummm...didn't we used to call them hippies?

KevRok

This was profound in the sense that he's correct, we're all conditioned to enter the American rat race; we're born into it and expected to take this crap, produce that crap, and die after a life of more CRAP. He saw it coming. It's not about excuses like, "I don't have enough money to do what he did," or, "I should be or he should be helping people," it's more about do you want your freedom or do you want the money to buy the things that you think will give you freedom (essentially buying your freedom from the rat race); the desire for money over freedom is an artifact of Occidental rat race conditioning. If you really looked, you can make money in America "Doing what you want," or while "doing what you want (on the side)." Stop your whining and get creative. You wanna' help somebody, help yourself first! SLOMO is inspiring to someone; that's enough help. Most of all, he appears to be inspired while inspiring. Check the social security system's stats, most of you are not gonna' die wealthy, you're gonna' waste your adult life working for the wealthy and die broke, after taxes of course! Go have a good life now.

ashok shroff

His joy at doing what he wanted to do!

Oz

Agreed. He had the money to walk away. Also, who is he really helping? He had a skill that benefited others; now he seems to be benefiting himself.

Tazaniah

GOD!!!!

Cindy

Although I totally admire Slomo for not wanting to be an a**hole his whole life, it goes without saying that he made lots of money before he took this plunge. Most people would simply call it downsizing and retiring (if my math is correct he was retirement age when he made this life change). But Slomo is likeable, and the inclusion of the brain science here made it worth watching. Thank you.

El

This video was inspiring, certainly, and I am glad I got to see it. It reminded me of why I used to chase after the highs of snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, etc. That said, I kept thinking about the fact that he is able to do this having made considerable sums of money. Many of us are not in this position, yet perhaps there is something we can do at various points in our day that can bring about this feeling, even if we only have a few minutes. I also found myself thinking that part of what brings happiness is contributing to the world in some way: there is much to be said for wholeheartedly giving to something outside oneself. What that looks like is as unique as each one of us. As stated much more eloquently by James Hollis (prolific, brilliant writer), what brings meaning into our lives? If we have commitments that don't allow us to skate all day, can we find moments of bliss mixed in with moments of meaning?

Fab

i look forward to discovering what I want. i applaud this man for the courage to go against the grain and discover his desire. he is an example of how I sense we should really be living life.

Joni

This quote came to my mind “Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver
And this song from poet Townes Van Zandt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APTmx2uqdO8&feature=kp
To live is to fly. To really live this way is a type of flying in all modesty.

tim

happy people always perceive themselves to be in motion

lynn

You cannot do what you want to unless you have money to sustain yourself. This is nuts.

Annette

The idea of doing what you want to do is crucial for well-being. I love what I do and I get paid for it.....working in a book store. I look forward to going to work. I also do volunteer work that I love and I'm also an artist. I'm blissed out and I feel blessed. More power to Slomo; he's an inspiration that one can do what they want at any age.

John

I congratulate You! What part of the Pacific Ocean where you filming at? I'm a similar age and was thinking of spending a summer in this area and maybe just start by walking and fishing each day. Any information on area would be appreciated. Thank you, John T

John T

I congratulate You! What part of the Pacific Ocean where you filming at? I'm a similar age and was thinking of spending a summer in this area and maybe just start by walking and fishing each day.
Any information on area would be appreciated.
Thank you,
John T

Finnian

Wow!
How come I'm so lucky, nay blessed, to see this video this evening. I'm the same age as Dr John, "SLOMO" and one of my secret regrets in life is that I was put off riding a bike "without hands" when I was a boy, by the sage comment of a responsible adult. I never got round to skating in any form. I hope it's not too late. I MUST try.
I'm astounded by the neurological dimension of the effect of roller skating on one's balance and sense of well being.Look at the similarities with surfing. Let me first resume cycling. Thanks to Dr John or SLOMO and the team who brought us the movie. Long live SLOMO.

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